Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 31 - A trip

Tamiko mouth gaped as a yawn escaped her. It was still early in the morning, the sun only just creeping over the horizon and she was sitting in her car by the dormitory of Shiratorizawa Academy, nodding off while she waited. Today was the day her and Ushijima would go to Tokyo and she was now suffering from lack of sleep due to the excitement. A little knock on the window got her out of her gaze and out of her little Toyota.

"Good morning." Ushijima greeted her.

"Good morning." she replied with a smile.

They gave each other a short hug and then she opened the trunk of the car to stow away Ushijima's luggage. He had a lot less packed than her, shaming her a little. Why did girls always need more stuff than boys? Then they got into the car and drove off. Finding a parking spot at the train station wasn't easy. Especially when you had to park your car for a few days. Ushijima was willing to pitch in for the ticket and she had no choice. After she had parked the car they made their way into the station. She was still sipping on her coffee from the café when they reached the platform. There were a lot of people running around and they were soon drowned in the busy commute. A child was crying, a man was shouting, a whistle was blown.

"The shinkansen to Tokyo Main station will depart in 5 minutes." an announcer spoke.

They soon spotted the sleek and slim train, waiting to be boarded. Tamiko grew a little nervous. She had never taken a train ride alone before, only on the occasional class trip. But she wasn't all alone. Ushijima walked next to her, calm and quiet. If he was calm like that then she should relax as well and she took a deep breath. Travelling was always so exciting. She took his free hand and he looked down at her.

"Let's go and find our seats." she urged.

He nodded and guided her onto the train, letting her board it first. They checked their tickets again and soon found their seats. While Ushijima stowed away their luggage overhead, Tamiko sat down and closed her eyes for a moment. The nervousness had been replaced with excitement once again and she smiled to herself. When she felt Ushijima sit down next to her she opened them again. He looked at her, a little concerned and confused as to why she had her eyes closed. She smiled at him and sighed.

"I have never been to Tokyo." she confessed. "I have never traveled so far before."

He looked ahead again when he pulled out his phone. He swiped a few times and then showed her the screen. It was a photo. She studied it when he handed her his phone to look at it. The photo showed the boys from the club, posing in front of a big red and white tower. The Tokyo tower. Ushijima swiped the picture to the side to show another photo of Tokyo city. Both were drowned in looking at the photos and talking about them that they didn't notice the train kicking into motion. She also didn't notice the conductor when Ushijima handed him the tickets he asked to see. Tamiko was surprised that he even had so many photos on his phone. When she exited the folder she also saw one with plant images. She giggled and handed him his phone, stating that she also wanted to see those places. Outside the greenery of the countryside whizzed past them as they travelled further from home and closer to Tokyo. Ushijima pulled out a book to pass the time while Tamiko listened to music and gazed out ot the window, deep in thought. A gentle hand rested on hers and it pulled her back into the reality of the train compartment. Ushijima had placed his book aside and was gazing at her. She unplugged one ear to let him know she was listening if he had something to say. And he did.

"You're quiet." he said.

"Aren't I always." she mumbled, still gazing out of the window.

"More than usual." he noted.

Her eyes found his when she turned to look at him. She smiled and leaned her head back against the seat.

"I'm just thinking." she told him.

"About what?" he asked.

"Finding our way around Tokyo. I'm unfamiliar with cities." she confessed.

"But you are not alone, so you shouldn't be worried." he reminded her.

"I know, I just can't help it." she shrugged.

"We can always cancel this trip." he concludes.

She understood what he meant. Spending time with someone in an unfamiliar place is difficult and he knew this. He probably didn't want her to worry but enjoy herself. It was too late now anyway. They were already on their way.

"We'll be fine." she reassured him. "We have each other, right?"

She smiled at him warmly and fondly and he returned it. Everything will be fine, she thought. The smile took a long time to fade as she bathed in bliss and sunlight. An hour and a half passed and they reached the country's capital. The station was big, very big. The building was from 1914, out of red bricks and Tamiko was fascinated by the architecture. There was also a much bigger crowd than what she was used to. Ushijima took a good hold of her hand as he guided her through the crowd. His height also came as an added advantage to his knowledge of the place. He could see above the heads of most and saw the signs they had to follow. Tamiko gave the direction they had to follow and Ushijima looked for the signs; it was good teamwork. They took a short break to look at a map. People rushed past them as they seeked shelter from the current of the crowd by a wall.

"So we will have to turn right over there." she realized when she finally found the place on the map where they needed to be.

He nodded and continued to walk. She followed him when someone bumped into her. The man didn't apologize and just kept walking. Tamiko huffed and frowned, readjusting the straps from her backpack. She turned into the direction she wanted to go when she noticed something.

"Wakatoshi?" she said allowed to herself.

He was gone, disappeared into the crowd. Great, she groaned to herself and sighed. Then she pulled out her phone. No signal. Why now? She put her phone and headed into the direction she had to go. It was a battle trying to walk with the flow of the crowd and not bumping into anyone. She also had to tiptoe and stretch to see the signs she had to follow. When she nearly reached the platform she bumped into someone who walked into the opposite direction. She held her nose and a small tear formed in one of her eyes.

"Seriously, watch where you are going!" she snapped at the stranger.

"Tamiko," was all the so-called stranger said.

She blinked a few times when she noticed that it was Ushijima she had bumped into. She frowned at him although she was more than glad to see him.

"I thought I had lost you." she huffed, displeased by the whole situation.

She was still rubbing her nose but the pain was subsiding quickly.

"I'm sorry." he apologized. "I didn't notice that you weren't behind me anymore."

That's what you get for letting go, she thought. Tamiko still frowned at him. Unbelievable but it was good that she found the way herself. Having no signal was an obstacle that would have proofed difficult if she would have gotten lost. She sighed and stepped towards him, resting her forehead against his chest.

"Don't ever do that again. You scared me." she mumbled.

Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her tightly. He buried his face in her hair and both stood there for a while, enjoying the security they gave each other.

"We need to get to the hotel." she mumbled into his jacket.

He hummed in agreement and picked up his luggage. Then his hand reached for hers and he held on tightly not wanting to lose her again. She smiled as she followed him, his tight grip giving her a foundation in this chaotic train station.